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The big news: they built Hobbiton. I mean they actually built it, not out of styrofoam but out of real materials that will last for decades this time, so it will be a real, lasting place you can visit.

The big news: they built Hobbiton. I mean they actually built it, not out of styrofoam but out of real materials that will last for decades this time, so it will be a real, lasting place you can visit.

...how much is airfare to New Zealand, again?

Start saving.

In the book, everybody sings. The dwarves sing and the elves sing and the goblins sing (both when their winning and when their getting their asses set on fire). I wonder how much singing they'll slip in.

The singing was one of the things that always bogs down any run through The Hobbit I ever attempted. It's just goddamned everywhere. I would like a bit salvaged for the film (which it looks like it isn't going to be a problem), but I hope it's cut down to just a handful.

Okay, is there like an album or something that I can get that has the songs from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings? I'm trying to find a halfway decent recording of "The Road Goes Ever On and On" and it's just not happening.

The singing was one of the things that always bogs down any run through The Hobbit I ever attempted. It's just goddamned everywhere. I would like a bit salvaged for the film (which it looks like it isn't going to be a problem), but I hope it's cut down to just a handful.

I guess chalk it up to difference of opinion then; the singing in the books was compelling and awesome to me. I love the fact that Tolkien spent so much time on language, music and history when creating his world, and what little of it found its way into LOTR was fantastic.

I want Goblin Town to be sung, goddamn it. Done properly it could be ominous and creepy as fuck.

So a man named Bill Snyder came across a 1937 British children's book and saw at once its potential; he acquired the film rights in 1964 for a fairly small amount because no one knew the author yet. The only condition was that the rights would revert if no motion picture were made by June 30, 1966. That book was The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. ...

And then, with the publication of the paperback LOTR, Tolkien exploded into public recognition as the clock was ticking. Suddenly the film rights held by Snyder were much more valuable, and he wasn't going to risk losing them. But there was a loophole: the Tolkien lawyers had been a little sloppy in their language, and thus all Snyder had to do to keep the rights was produce some kind of full-color motion picture. So he made Deitch cut down his script to a short short and in thirty days had the very first film version of The Hobbit thrown together, all twelve minutes of it. Because of it Snyder was able to keep the rights long enough to sell them back for much more than he had paid for them.

I thought it was really quite a shame that the Bill Nighy as Smaug rumors never panned out. He has a really rare ability to hit a sweet spot between smug and old-man-grumpy that fits the character perfectly.

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AManFromEarthLet's get to twerk!The King in the SwampRegistered Userregular

I thought it was really quite a shame that the Bill Nighy as Smaug rumors never panned out. He has a really rare ability to hit a sweet spot between smug and old-man-grumpy that fits the character perfectly.

Aaaaannnd I finished reading the Hobbit. I started on paperback and ended it on a Kindle. I wonder how that happened.

Before starting LotR, may I ask (I really don't know please don't hurt me) why the three majors stories are broken up into six books instead of the three famous titles? Or is that some cosmetic choice that Tolkien did? Like "Fellowship of the Ring" is two books and so is Two Towers and RotK.

Aaaaannnd I finished reading the Hobbit. I started on paperback and ended it on a Kindle. I wonder how that happened.

Before starting LotR, may I ask (I really don't know please don't hurt me) why the three majors stories are broken up into six books instead of the three famous titles? Or is that some cosmetic choice that Tolkien did? Like "Fellowship of the Ring" is two books and so is Two Towers and RotK.

Well, Tolkien just wrote it all kinda at once, I don't think it was supposed to be read episodically. You'll find once you get into the books that it doesn't really follow the films at all, and all the events happen sequestered wholesale. Instead of following the modern pulp tradition of telling several interweaving story lines, Tolkien breaks it all up into whole chunks.

"You want Frodo and Sam? Well, here's 200 straight pages of it. Finish that, and then and ONLY then will I tell you about Helms Deep."

Aaaaannnd I finished reading the Hobbit. I started on paperback and ended it on a Kindle. I wonder how that happened.

Before starting LotR, may I ask (I really don't know please don't hurt me) why the three majors stories are broken up into six books instead of the three famous titles? Or is that some cosmetic choice that Tolkien did? Like "Fellowship of the Ring" is two books and so is Two Towers and RotK.

The publishers thought the books were too big, so they split them up.

The Hobbit is a children's book by the way, don't go into LotR with the expectation that it'll be more of the same. The tone is very different, and you might find it a little hard going in comparison... it can be a downright tortuous read in parts.

To save yourself some pain skip the prologue unless you reaaaaaaaaaally need to know everything about hobbits. Skip Tom Bombadil if he starts bogging things down, acquire Barrow Downs (sadly couldn't appear in the movie since it depends on the former/not that great pacing). Songs can be a hit or miss, skip as necessary.

I agree completely, The Hobbit is still one of my favourite books and I'm in my thirties. I've lost count of the number of times I've read it, but I don't think "dozens" would be much of an exaggeration.

Just thought I'd give fair warning about LotR. They're great books, but not necessarily good ones, if you get my meaning. In comparison to The Hobbit I've read LotR like, twice and a half... because fuck that.

I thought it was really quite a shame that the Bill Nighy as Smaug rumors never panned out. He has a really rare ability to hit a sweet spot between smug and old-man-grumpy that fits the character perfectly.

I know a fair number of people who feel completely the opposite, and I tend to agree. I've read LotR many times,but could only stomach The Hobbit once or twice.

Each to their own, you can't deny that LotR is atrociously written in places though.

I lost count of the number of "and lo!"'s he threw in towards the end.

I've never tried to count anything like that, but I've never noticed any over-use of phrase in LOTR. Reading ASOIAF however, I was constantly distracted by the repeated "words are wind", "black wings black words", and the like.

To save yourself some pain skip the prologue unless you reaaaaaaaaaally need to know everything about hobbits. Skip Tom Bombadil if he starts bogging things down, acquire Barrow Downs (sadly couldn't appear in the movie since it depends on the former/not that great pacing). Songs can be a hit or miss, skip as necessary.

Atomic Ross' and lu tze's info/advice is spot on.

It's funny, lots of people are apparently bugged by Tom Bombadil, but I love the guy.

None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master / His songs are stronger songs, and his feet are faster.

Guess who did an album on a chunk of The Silmarillion. It's their best album too.

Yeah, Feanor's kind of a dick.

Didn't listen to the video, but from what I recall Feanor was a bad-ass motherfucker. He wasn't after Morgoth because Morgoth was "evil" we was just fuckin' pissed that Morgoth stole his Silmarils and he wasn't about to stop at anything to get them back.

Guess who did an album on a chunk of The Silmarillion. It's their best album too.

Yeah, Feanor's kind of a dick.

Didn't listen to the video, but from what I recall Feanor was a bad-ass motherfucker. He wasn't after Morgoth because Morgoth was "evil" we was just fuckin' pissed that Morgoth stole his Silmarils and he wasn't about to stop at anything to get them back.

Against the will of The Valar. He left heaven on earth and dragged an entire race with him into death.

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

Woah, that quote was Krugman? I always assumed it was some anonymous internet user. Krugman is indeed awesome.

Though it is interesting to note the similarities between Feanor and John Galt. Galt, of course would have been a tragic character (in a Bioshock sense of course) if Ayn Rand was at all realistic about human nature.

Woah, that quote was Krugman? I always assumed it was some anonymous internet user. Krugman is indeed awesome.

Though it is interesting to note the similarities between Feanor and John Galt. Galt, of course would have been a tragic character (in a Bioshock sense of course) if Ayn Rand was at all realistic about human nature.

Feanor seems like Kratos to me. Except Feanor can't angry his way to whatever he wants. He comes damn close, but ultimately gets punished.